21 June Monthly Challenge: A Plan for Our Patio

One of the questions I get asked frequently is how I go through the design process when working on a space.  Now, to set things straight, designer I am not.  I just like to play with colors and create spaces that reflect us as a family.  I enjoy mixing and matching patterns, purchases and DIY projects.  I never went to school for design, so I am no expert.  But absolutely happy to share my personal process.

Since this month we are creating an outdoor living space from scratch, I thought it would be the perfect example for answering the question.  Our home is often times evolving and I may tweak things by adding a piece of furniture or accessory here or there to create spaces that are lived in, loved and built over time.  But there are times when a room begins as a blank slate and needs a good foundation and vision. 

Since my hubby and family live in our home with me, I like to create visuals, not only for myself, but for them as well.  That way, we can all be on the same page and have an idea as a whole of where the spaces will ultimately end up.  This also helps break down budget and shopping lists and confirms ahead of time if certain patterns or colors will work together.  I do this by creating a Style Tile {a.k.a. mood board, inspiration board, etc...}.

I have shared in the past the process for actually creating these, by simply using Olioboard, you can find that post here.

Again, the reason I love doing this so much is because I can see everything in one place, and how all the elements work together.  I can keep track of what I have, what I need to purchase and what I want to DIY.  But the best part is that it is super simple to change things as needed; if my indecisiveness kicks in, if an item is out of stock or if I completely botch a planned project.  For example, I really really wanted some red garden chairs for our outdoor dining table, but they are a smidge too costly for this project, which is why you see the yellow alternative swapped out above.

You know I love to get super chatty, but I am going to try to keep this short, sweet and simple.  When starting any space, indoors or out, I start out by looking for inspiration, and making a list of everything we want in the space.  I shared those details for our patio in the kick-off post here.

Once I have my list of "wants" and dreams for the space, it is time to put it all together and make sense of it all.

The first really important step, is to determine what you already have that you want to incorporate into the space.  I search Google and online stores for images of our items, or something close enough for the visual effect.

There are items that we already had on hand before starting the project, that needed to be present within the ultimate design.  White planters, a boot tray, a striped market umbrella, indoor sunburst mirror and outdoor cushions.  We also have the bamboo salad servers, I just tossed them into the mix since I like the dipped effect and we plan to entertain.

Now that I have inventory of what we have and plan on using, I try to find color inspiration.  What is a common theme between our existing items?  Once I see color trends within the items we have, I start looking for something that ties all of those colors together.  It may be within one of the objects we already have, a piece of art, a rug, a quilt, a photograph or inspiration found online or an item I spot while out shopping.   It really can be found anywhere.  And just because I am using a specific object for color inspiration, doesn't mean that I ultimately need to purchase it or even incorporate it into the space.  It's just something I use to design around and as a guide for making my choices.  For our patio project, I had seen this platter at World Market.  I didn't purchase it, but I loved every single color in it.  So it is now my color inspiration.

Now that I know what we have, and the colors I want to use, I look back at our inspiration photos/wishlist to pick out things that we could DIY by either building, thrifting, modifying things we have around the home, or purchasing something that we want to tweak/enhance.

When it comes to our patio, I would love to have a grilling/bar cart, and I have the perfect solution already sitting here at home.  Those condiment jars are just so darling, but I know that I could whip something up similar with mason jars I have on hand, along with my Silhouette.  I have a cutlery caddy as well, but it is just plain white, so stripes and gold embellishments would be an oh-so-darling addition.  And although I would need to purchase the different planters pictured above, I could tweak them with the help of some simple paint treatments. 

So now I have selected  items that we have and items that we want to DIY.  The final step is determining the items that we will need to buy.

Some plants, a footstool, a couple of extra throw pillows, accessories and dining chairs, and we have ourselves a plan for the outdoor patio space!

So there you have it.  A look at our plans, and how we got there!  Of course, these visions are always subject to change, and often do, but it's great to have a starting point and to have a plan that my Mr. and I both agree to.

Now... off to do some more of those DIY projects!

How about you?  Any other tips for getting started with a space, and picking colors and items?

65 Baby Blake's Beautiful & Bright Nursery

When my bestest gal pal found out she was preggers with her baby this past year, it was one of the happiest moments in my life.  Erin is like a sister to me, and she went through a very long process to grow her family, so the day it became a reality that she was plus one in her tummy, much joy was spread and happy tears were had.

The excitement stayed strong throughout the entire pregnancy, and once she found out she was having....

....a GIRL, I couldn't wait to help in the nursery planning!  Seriously, a little lady room?  How could I resist?  I am always living in all boy mode of blues, reds and oranges... I couldn't wait to play with pink.

Erin and I had many chats about her little gal's nursery, and it all came back to a very common theme which was low fuss, simple and budget friendly.  There was no need to go crazy and fill it with designer items and trendy finishes, just items picked and made with love {which is totally the best kind of nursery in my opinion}.  And she already had a crib, bookshelf, changing table and glider from their first baby, all which she wanted to use again for baby numero dos.  So it was my job to take those items and bring in the pink!

Only, she didn't really want a lot of pink either.  But she did want color!  Which I love to play with, so here is what I came up with:

The inspiration started from some striped fabric we found one day while on a girl's shopping trip to IKEA.   The plan was to use that fabric for the curtains, paint the walls a muted purple/gray, find some meaningful art for a gallery wall thanks to Etsy, photographs and free printables, sew up a pouf for in front of the glider and to later act as a play cushion, recover the existing glider, install some light fixtures and throw down a rug to tie it all together. 

Here is how the room turned out after lots of painting, sewing, painting and more sewing!

It turned out to be such a happy and charming space.  I love all of the little details...

Let's take a quick tour around the room, shall we?

The room has a small wall in-between the closet and door into the room, so the bookcase landed there as it fit just right.  Some baskets for baby essentials, along with adorable L O V E blocks {from Target around Valentine's Day}, and the shelves were cute as can be.  Above the bookcase, Erin spent time wrapping a giant cardboard letter with purple yarn for some soft texture.

Next up is the changing area...

The dresser received a hardware upgrade thanks to some pretty acrylic pendant knobs and a super adorable pink dot changing pad cover.  A small tray corrals all of the daily baby goodies.

A special shout out to the Target dollar spot!  Fabulous little drawer organizers win big for the small baby bits!

And just above the changing table is the sweetest little gallery wall, filled with hand-picked art by baby's mama, along with some maternity photos I snapped for my favorite fam.

A small sconce was installed in-between the changing table and glider rocker because late night diaper changes and feedings need just a little light, not a lot.

As I mentioned, there was quite of bit of sewing.  I contributed only a very small portion in that department {more on that in a moment}, Erin's mom was amazing and whipped up both the curtain panels and the DIY pouf {using this tutorial}.

The fabric is mainly Premier Prints patterns found on Fabric.com.  And isn't that glider absolutely incredible?  Just for the cost of some fabric and the love and help from Grandma Barb who was a sewing wiz, and the chair had a very Cinderella moment.  It felt so much more high end than the plain oh-so-typical glider that it started out as.

On the other side of the room, is where the little lady rests.

Some books are stored in a set of wall baskets found at HomeGoods, and toys are corralled in a woven basket below.

And yes, this happened.....

I brought my sewing machine to Erin's house and attempted to use it for the very first time, with the help of YouTube videos.  It was a fun and comical learning experience... but in the end, we still saved so much time making a DIY mobile.

To make the mobile, we selected three shades of teal cardstock paper and used a paper punch to make stacks of circles, which I fed through my machine to create an ombre effect.  The ring at the top is the inside of an embroidery hoop which received a quick coat of white craft paint.

The wall art with Miss Blake Waverly's name, was a DIY done by the hubster and I.  Remember this Instagram sneak peek? 

Many of you guessed it was for my studio.... it ended up in the nursery instead!

And that completes the tour!  It's been really fun to take the room from vision....

To reality!

And the biggest congrats to Erin for delivering the most precious little peanut.  She made me a super proud "Auntie" again!  Sigh.... baby fever has set in....

Pretty sweet, charming and happy baby room right?  And it is one that little Blake can totally grow within, which makes for a happily ever after nursery story!

54 Preston's Bedroom Update: Some Before Pics and a Plan

Our oldest, Preston, recently turned 11.  I blinked and he went from giggles and diapers to a seven day a week athlete and superstar big brother.  And I am sure turning my attention to him for a day is a bit embarrassing, but come on, that is my job right?

To amp the embarrassment factor, here are some shots of my little, big buddy now...

Preston is an incredible kid.  I could be that mom that goes overboard on the proud factor and the bajillion-and-one reasons why I adore him.  

However, the organizing gene, he does not have.

Never has.

I always hope to give him the tools and systems he needs to make his life a bit simpler and easier to manage, but there are times where we see that he needs a little extra boost.  Papers forgotten, uniforms forgotten, scheduling snafus, etc.... 

When it comes to being helpful, this kid is just that.  He is always willing to help out with household chores and spending time with his brothers.  He really takes ownership of his daily responsibilities, and does housework without earning an allowance.  We have always explained to our kids that we all work together as a family, and our home is just that, OURS.  So we all do our part in taking care of our home.  By helping out, they earn technology time or time with friends... but I want to do something a little more for my big buddy.

I recently realized when I asked Preston to tidy up his room, that even after a quick pick-up, his room is one of the most neglected and really lacks any organization.  His growing and changing needs should be addressed, and finishing touches need to be put in place to make his room feel like a place he wants to spend time in.  A place to hang out with friends, to do his homework, to practice his guitar and to chill out with a good book or to some tunes.

Looking at the pictures I took today {yes, I hi-jacked his room without telling him and took "as-is" before photos that are very true to life, I didn't even straighten the bed}, I feel a bit awful that his room is so blah.  

I also thought it would be fun to go above and beyond, and do my first ever "before" video tour.  Just to give a good picture of the space, the layout, and why it just isn't working for him.

And for those having trouble viewing the oh so exciting room tour, here are a couple of pictures of his space in its current state:

The good thing, is it is a complete blank slate!  It is always important to focus on the positives right?

So, here is what I am thinking.  Just a quick Style Tile to give us some direction.

• We really want to DIY as much as possible in the space, so a giant chalkboard calendar to help with tasks and dates will be the primary way we fill up the empty wall.
• He already has a nightstand, he just needs some better lighting since he reads in bed every evening, so I am thinking of going with an oil rubbed bronze swing arm option.
• The bed frame and foot board I found at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore for $50.  Looking around online at similar styles, they typically run from $500 - $1500 so I think I scored pretty big!  I like the idea of doing soft gray plaid bedding to balance all of the blue in the room.
• Above the bed, some over sized letters sprayed in a vibrant red will be a jolt of color the room needs.
• The light fixture will be a basic drum shade that we purchased for my brother's apartment a few months ago, and never ended up using.  
• I am determined to learn how to sew.  And Preston's curtains will be the first project I tackle, and they will be done in a navy damask fabric.  His curtain rod will be updated to an oil rubbed bronze finish.
• Right now his desktop is just a piece of painted MDF that was a bit too thin for the project and now bows if too much weight is applied.  I thought it would be fun to DIY a dark wood stained desktop to make it more sturdy and manly {similar to this tutorial found here}.  The grey chair we already own.
• The second I saw this dresser makeover, I knew it was the perfect solution for Preston's hand-me-down green goblin.  I can't wait to get started!
• A few baskets to hold his sports apparel and some tweaks to his desk storage and we will be all set!

Let's chat about the "tweens".  What have you done to help your growing kiddo be more organized through all of the busy schedules and life changes?

22 IHeart an Organized OlioHop!

A few weeks back I blogged about how I now use Olioboard as my way of creating room Style Tiles, which are also known as room design mood boards.  I shared how amazingly awesome, easy and free the program is and how it can really give you an idea of how a space can look, before actually taking the plunge and purchasing and assembling everything.

What I really love about Olioboard is that you can also use it as a way to help with your organizing projects, and to show you, I was personally invited to be part of a super sweet bloghop {a.k.a. Oliohop} being hosted by Olioboard!

I sway from time to time on my favorite spaces to design and organize.  Some days I may say playrooms, others I may lean towards craft rooms and office spaces.  Maybe I am drawn to both types of spaces since they are often times considered "creative" zones and also because they require additional organization and storage due to all of the items that are typically packed into these multifunctional spaces.

Since I already shared my "Playroom Must Haves", I thought today I would share my Organized Office Must Haves.  Then, for fun, I will share how I used Olioboard to help me whip up an example of an uber organized and stylish home office space {because the two should totally go hand in hand right?!}

So without further ado, my home office must haves:

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The basic foundation of any office is a proper workspace, which should be sizable enough to handle basic bill paying and everyday office duties.

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Whether sitting for a couple of minutes to check up on a few emails or for many continuous hours telecommuting, some cush for your tush will ensure you are left smiling at the end of your work session.

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Working in poorly lit spaces can cause strain on your peepers, so I always recommend some sort of task lighting both on the work surface and also overhead.

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One of the main functions of the home office is to manage all of those family and personal papers and documents.  Everything from bills to "To Do" lists, paper piles can stack up quickly.  Proper paper storage, whether wall mounted, a filing cabinet, or a combination of both, will keep the workspace clutter free.

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Not every home office is intended to host a variety of crafts, but many do by nature.  From fabric and sewing materials to scrapbooking and wrapping supplies, every last function should be considered.  Larger armoires and cabinets are a great way to stash away craft materials of all sizes, and adding in baskets and jars for the smaller items gives you the perfect combination of great crafting storage.

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Some of my favorite workspaces come with a pop of pattern and color.  Whether on the floor, on the wall or brought in through chair upholstery, pattern will ensure that the space where you "work" will leave you feeling inspired and cheerful.

So now that we know all of the items I am sure to consider and incorporate when working on any home office, I thought I would turn to Olioboard to go through the checklist and create the ultimate functional and organized workspace!

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A fabulous desk combined with two super soft office chairs sets the stage for the space.  Task lighting doesn't have to be specific to swing arm lamps, a pretty table lamp can be equally as effective and bring some style to the room.  To manage paper clutter, a combination of wall mail sorters and a colorful filing cabinet should cover both current and archived paper piles.  Let's say this space is also doubling as a small studio, a tall armoire with glass doors, wire baskets and glass jars, allow the craft supplies and fabric swatches to remain visible and inspirational.  To bring in the pattern, the lovely wallpaper on a focal wall {or lining the back of the craft cabinet}, would be sure to be the icing on the organized office cake.  And never forget the fresh flowers!  No space is complete without them.

Isn't it neat how the moodboard covered all of the essential office requirements?  You could even go down to the specifics of pencil cup holders and drawer dividers if you wish!  Love.

Interested in seeing how other super creative and talented bloggers used Olioboard to conquer clutter?  Check out the links below!

Chaotically Creative 

Dabble in Chic 

Design Magnifique

Go Simply Savvy

Focalpoint

Frugal Finds

Homestyling101

Urban Eclectic Interiors

Pinklet and C

Push Interiors

Seaside Interiors

Selma Hammer Designs

Stacy Naquin Interiors

White Linen Interiors

Wisteria Home

Olioboard wants you to join into the fun as well!  Create an Olioboard to conquer one of your spaces and leave a link in the comments below!  I can't wait to see what you come up with!